Covert Operation
by Aphrodite420
Summary: Sometimes being in Starfleet means following orders that could hurt your loved ones, put you and those around you in danger, and save lives.   Sort-of sequel to Inhibitions, but you do not have to read that to read this.
1. Secrets

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Star Trek, much to my disappointment.**

**A/N: This is a semi-sequel to "Inhibitions." By 'semi,' I mean that even if you haven't read that one, you should have no trouble keeping up with this story. All you need to know is that in this 'verse, Spock and Uhura got together thanks to the disinhibiting effects of a plant back when Uhura was a student. I may refer back to that on occasion, but not to the point where you will feel lost.**

**This will have a different tone than Inhibitions, I think, and all of the Enterprise crew will be featured (Including Gaila, whom I saved in Inhibitions).**

**Let me know if you like it so far!**

**Chapter 1: Secrets**

A cool breeze off the Bay slapped lightly at Uhura's skin as soon as she stepped out of the Academy's shuttle hangar. It lifted her long ponytail from her shoulder and whipped loose strands of hair around her face.

She paused, facing the body of water glittering in the distance, and breathed in the familiar, salty scent of the sea.

"Earth. It's been too long," she murmured, closing her eyes, a small smile curving her lips.

"Seven months and three days," said a voice behind her.

Nyota turned to face her superior officer - and lover - as he followed her out of the hangar. He carried a Starfleet-issue duffel bag under each arm.

"Isn't it good to be planetside again, Spock?" she asked, her smile widening. "It's been _months_ since I've been off the ship."

"You opted to forsake our other four shore-leaves," Spock reminded her. "I did not ask you to do that."

"You refused to leave the ship because you didn't think anyone else was responsible enough to run it with most of the bridge crew on leave," Nyota shrugged. "I didn't see any point in going if you wouldn't be there with me. I'm surprised I even managed to convince you to come _this_ time."

"You were persistent in your pleas," Spock said, with a touch of bitterness.

"Oh, come on, Spock, it won't be that bad," Nyota said, reaching over to take her duffel from him. "Are we going to your quarters?" she asked as she heaved the strap over her shoulder.

Spock nodded, and they set off through the crowd of chattering Enterprise crewmen and across the grassy quad. They walked past the main school buildings and cadet dorms, under a line of trees along the brick path, nearing the graduate quarters with every step.

"Look, Spock," Nyota whispered with a mischievous smile as they passed a large glass structure. "The greenhouse. Should we go in for a look? Maybe we'll run across a certain plant..."

"I would prefer not," Spock said sternly. "We are supposed to meet with the captain and Dr. McCoy for dinner tonight."

"Besides," she said with a grin, "we don't need a plant to have... fun... do we, Commander?"

The corners of his mouth lifted as he looked straight ahead and refused to meet her knowing gaze.

"No, Lieutenant, we do not," he replied as they reached his building.

"I guess you'll have to prove it to me when we get to your quarters," she said teasingly. "Let's start off our shore-leave with a... _bang_... shall we?"

Spock's eyebrow slowly rose as he opened the door for her. "We shall," he promised.

XXXXX

"Let's go to the beach," Nyota suggested.

She was sprawled out on Spock's bed, staring up at the ceiling. Nothing hid her nakedness except the thin white sheet twisted around her body. Spock, wearing only a pair of loose cloth pants, moved around his quarters to put his belongings in their proper places. They had been on Earth for nearly two hours already, but certain... distractions... had kept him from unpacking.

Those "distractions" being, of course, a certain human female undressing him as soon as the front door slid closed behind them and the following two hours spent tangled up in the sheets of his bed.

"I have no desire to go to the beach," Spock said automatically as he set up his sonic shaver in the bathroom.

Nyota rolled over onto her stomach and propped her chin on one hand as she watched him.

"Then let's go sightseeing," she said. "We have to do _something_, Spock. That's what shore-leave is all about: relaxing, getting out and about to see things we don't normally get to see... we can't just stay _here_ for the next two weeks! What's the fun in that?"

Spock raised an eyebrow at her as he left the bathroom to store his empty duffel in the closet. A grin slowly spread on her face.

"Well, okay. That would be fun, too. But as much as I know we would enjoy staying in, I want us to go _do_ something together."

"We are dining out with the captain tonight. Together," Spock pointed out.

"Yes, but I want _us_ to go out together, just the two of us."

Spock suppressed a sigh. "Nyota, I would prefer to stay here. We rarely spend time together on the Enterprise, due to our conflicting schedules. I had thought you would want to use this time for us to be... alone."

"Oooh, I see," Nyota said slowly, rising up on her knees to wrap her arms around his neck. Her nude body pressed against him deliciously as she kissed him lightly. "You want to spend this shore-leave _naked_," she whispered against his lips, her fingernails scratching lightly against his skin as her fingers threaded their way through the black hair on his chest before snaking down, down, down... to the waistband of his pants.

"Precisely," he said, his voice a low growl as he gripped her by the buttocks and lifted her from the bed. Nyota gave a shout of laughter that was stifled by his mouth as he kissed her deeply and laid her down on the bed.

XXXXX

The first several days of shore-leave were spent entirely in Spock's quarters. They played chess, watched holo-vids, and cuddled up on the sofa to read journals together, leaving only for meals. Wearing clothing became a rare thing - to avoid wasting time taking them off, since they frequently took breaks that required nudity, anyway - and they pursued all of these activities (excluding going out for meals) entirely naked.

Nyota had never before been able to savor her time with Spock. Their duties on the Enterprise prevented them from sharing more than the occasional meal, or the rare night when neither of them had to report to the bridge. Having him all to herself for two weeks was bliss, and as she became used to him holding her every night - to spending every second of every day with him - she wondered how she would ever be able to give this up when they returned to the Enterprise.

But then there came one morning, eight days after the start of leave, when Uhura woke to find herself alone.

Sitting up with a frown, she listened to the silence of Spock's quarters. When she did not hear so much as a rustle of movement from the living room, she threw aside the bedcovers and padded quietly out of the bedroom.

Her suspicions were confirmed: Spock was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, Nyota returned to the bedroom and went to the window, which afforded a view of the campus grounds.

It was so early that the sun was just starting to rise, the sky still a deep blue but slowly lightening to steel-gray as streaks of orange and pink shot out of the east. Leaning close to the window, she strained her eyes to see across the shadowy quad; in the distance, she spotted a dark figure making its way toward the main Starfleet building, which housed the offices of Starfleet's most important officers. Even from this far away, she recognized the familiar, brisk stride of her Vulcan lover.

_Where's he going so early?_ she wondered, a crease forming in between her brows as her frown deepened. Why would he leave without telling her?

Returning to bed, Uhura crawled back underneath the covers and waited. By the time she heard the front door open, the sun had fully risen and bright shafts of light were falling across the room.

She watched Spock enter the bedroom through half-closed eyes, pretending to be asleep as he pulled off his black pants and gray button-down shirt. He joined her, entirely naked, and gently pulled her against him, nestling her head in the space between his neck and shoulder as if he had never even left.

"Where did you go?" she asked quietly.

Spock froze. Several seconds passed before he responded.

"I had to go somewhere," he replied softly, stroking her cheek with his fingertips. "Go back to sleep, Nyota."

Uhura pulled away and sat up to look at him with a furrowed brow. "Why are you evading my question?"

Spock sat up also. "I cannot tell you," he said calmly.

Confused, she searched his face, but it was a carefully blank mask.

"Why not?" she asked.

"That is confidential information," Spock replied firmly. "Do not inquire further."

"Confidential...?" Nyota's voice trailed away. Then, in a strangely flat tone, she said, "So it's Starfleet business. You're working during shore-leave."

"As first officer of the Enterprise, my work never ends, whether I am on leave or not," Spock replied as she drew further away, folding her knees against her chest and hugging them tightly. "I had hoped to avoid this conversation with you."

"Which is why you sneaked out," she said. "To go to an appointment, I assume?"

Spock did not reply. He was no longer looking at her, his gaze trained instead on the window.

"The question is," Nyota said slowly, "what sort of meeting would you have to wear civilian clothes and sneak around to go to? Why is it a secret?" She waited, but again he said nothing. "Must be something quite important if you can't tell your Communications officer..."

"Nyota, you will not pry details from me, as I know you are attempting to do," Spock said, looking back at her. "You should not even know as much as you do."

"What? That a meeting took place?" Nyota scoffed. "That hardly tells me anything, Spock."

Uhura rolled out of bed and reached for the dark-blue silk robe that hung on the back of the closet door. "I thought you came on shore-leave to spend time with me, not to work," she said over her shoulder as she tied the robe closed. "But you didn't, did you? This meeting, or whatever you were sneaking to, is the only reason you're planetside."

Spock said nothing, and when she turned around and met his eyes, she saw a flicker of guilt cross his face before he quickly looked away.

Her lips parted in surprise. "That _is_ why, isn't it?" she asked incredulously. "You didn't come on shore-leave for me at all, did you?"

"That is not true," Spock said, looking back up at her. "I came to spend time with you, also."

"'_Also'_," Nyota repeated, shaking her head in disgust as she turned to head to the bathroom. "Fine, Spock. I get it. I'm not going to pry. I'm in Starfleet too, remember? As Communications officer, I know all about classified matters. I'd just appreciate it if you'd let me know next time that I'm just a damned cover for whatever secret meeting you're going to."

"Nyota - "Spock began, but she cut him off.

"Don't worry, I'll pretend I didn't see you sneak out. Consider it forgotten, and whatever _confidential_ mission you're working on safe," she said, and then the bathroom door closed behind her.


	2. Cryptic

**Chapter 2: Cryptic**

"I'm going to the beach," Nyota announced.

Spock, who was now dressed and sitting on his living room sofa, looked up from his PADD. His mate stood in the bedroom doorway, wearing only a silver two-piece bathing suit that left little to the imagination. Her eyes were narrowed, lips pressed together in displeasure; her chin jutted out defiantly as she looked at him.

It was evident that she had not forgiven him during the time it had taken for her to shower and "dress," and with a sinking sensation in his side, he knew she would not for quite some time.

"You are going alone?" he asked, setting aside his PADD and casting an uneasy look at her bare skin. The idea of her going out in public wearing something that consisted of little more than strips of cloth unsettled him.

"Of course not," she said, annoyed. "I'm meeting Gaila there."

Spock privately thought this was no better than going alone, as he knew the Orion had an unfortunate habit of drawing the attention of males, but he did not argue as Nyota crossed the living room to the door and slid on a pair of sandals. At this point, he had no desire to say anything that would anger her further.

"Nyota, perhaps we should discuss what happened this morning... " Spock began, but she waved her hand at him and he stopped.

"Just don't, Spock," she said, shaking her head angrily. "I don't want to hear it. I don't _need_ to hear it."

He watched silently as she went back into the bedroom and returned with a towel over one arm. He understood her anger very well; but how to tell her that he had not intended to hurt her? That he _had_ come on shore-leave for her, even if he _did_ have other obligations to tend to?

"I'll be back later," Nyota said as she headed to the door. "I'm sure you have top-secret things to work on to keep you busy."

When the door closed behind her, Spock allowed a small sigh to escape him. He rarely indulged in such a human response to stressful situations, but he supposed this situation warranted an exception.

He looked around the empty, silent quarters. For the past eight days, he and Nyota had shared this space; he had become accustomed to her constant presence, and now that she was not here, he felt... lonely.

A pang of guilt shot through him as he realized that it was his fault. _Guilt_... an emotion he had felt often during the past week.

The chiming of the holophone broke the silence. Spock blinked, coming out of his bitter reverie, then slowly stood and went to the computer console in the corner of the room.

"Accept call," he ordered as he sat in the chair in front of the console. The screen flickered; then he was greeted with the visage of his captain.

"Spock." Kirk nodded at him.

"Captain," Spock acknowledged.

"I'm sending something to your PADD right now. Review it sometime before our next meeting, all right?"

"I will, Captain," Spock said. "I assume you sent it to the others as well?"

"I did. And I wanted to tell you that I received a call a few minutes ago." Kirk looked at Spock meaningfully. "He says it's done."

Spock nodded once to show that he understood. "I will report in when I have reviewed the data, Captain."

"See you in a few days, Spock," Kirk said, and then signed off.

Spock stared at the black screen for several seconds, guilt weighing him down again as he thought of Nyota. It was difficult to keep this from her, and he disliked "sneaking around," as she called it, but he knew he had no choice. Orders were orders, and he would not break Starfleet regulation, not even for her.

What she did not know was that that morning's gathering had not been the first; there had been two others before it. He had been overwhelmed with feelings of guilt both times he had left her in the middle of the night to go to them. Perhaps it would be better now that she knew; he would no longer have to lie to her by omission, even if he still could not divulge the details of his assignment. And as angry as she was at the moment, he knew she would eventually understand.

He got up and moved back to the sofa. Sitting down, he picked up his PADD again; its screen was flashing, indicating that he had received an encrypted file.

Settling back into the sofa and accessing the file, Spock began to read with a growing sense of unease.

XXXXX

Carrying the towel in one hand and her sandals in the other, Uhura walked along the beach, cold wavelets rolling in over her bare feet, pulling at them as if beckoning her to the sea. Her footprints disappeared behind her as soon as they were made, the sand smoothed out by the tide as it retreated back into the ocean.

The roar of the waves crashing against the shore and the call of the seagulls flying overhead were like music to her ears. She had spent a lot of time here on the weekends as a cadet, and after seven months on a starship, they were welcome sounds from a past that seemed as if it belonged to another life entirely.

She had come to the beach to get away from Spock and to cool her anger; but to her dismay, being away from him only made her miss him. Was she right to be mad at him, anyway? She was a Starfleet officer; she knew what working on classified assignments entailed. And it wasn't as if he'd been neglecting her during their leave, even if she hadn't been his sole reason for coming...

"Hey! Nyota! Over here!" came a shout from her left.

Uhura blinked and looked up, spotting a familiar Orion reclining on a beach chair fifty feet away, clad in a bright-pink bikini that clashed brilliantly with her green skin and red hair. Gaila waved wildly at her with one arm, white teeth flashing in the sunlight as she grinned.

Smiling, Nyota stepped onto the soft, dry sand, out of reach of the insistent tide. Winding her way through the crowd, past laughing children, gossiping mothers, and staring men, she headed in her friend's direction.

"Hey," she called as she neared her. "Isn't it a bit early for you to be at the beach?"

"I got up early for once and decided to catch a few rays," Gaila shrugged, patting the beach chair next to her. "It's nice to see you, Ny. The commander finally let you escape, did he?"

Nyota shrugged as she unfolded her towel on the chair and sat down, but didn't reply.

"So how's your shore-leave been?" the Orion asked, settling back down. "Full of lots of sheet-shaking, I hope?"

"It's been fine," Uhura said vaguely.

"Just _fine_?" Gaila looked at her friend pityingly over the top of her sunglasses. "I think I need to have a word with your Vulcan boytoy."

Uhura frowned. "Gaila, he's your superior officer. You really shouldn't talk about him like that."

"What's wrong with _you_?" Gaila asked, her pink lipgloss glittering in the bright sunlight as she frowned.

"It's nothing," she said quickly. "What have you been up to?"

"Not much. The usual. Drinking, dancing the night away... I might've found a few playmates, too." She winked and grinned. When her human friend didn't crack so much as a smile in return, the Orion frowned. "Okay, something _is_ wrong. What is it?"

"What?" Nyota asked, looking around at her. "Nothing. I'm fine."

But Gaila's lips pursed as she turned back to look at the ocean. "Uh-huh. I haven't seen you this preoccupied in months. You usually have a 'I-just-had-really-great-sex' smile on your face, and considering that it's shore-leave, I expected you to be _glowing_ with smugness." When Uhura didn't respond, Gaila gave her a sideways look. "Trouble in paradise?" she asked gently.

"No," she said shortly. There was a few minutes' silence as they basked in the warm sunlight, Nyota chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. Then; "Spock's hiding something from me," she blurted out.

"Beg your pardon?" Gaila asked with another frown, again peering at her over the top of her sunglasses.

"Spock is... hiding something," Nyota said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

Gaila gave a theatrical gasp as she sat up. "The commander isn't _cheating_ on you, is he?" she asked in an overly-dramatic tone.

"_Gods_, no, Gaila!" Nyota said, appalled.

"Oh, good. I thought I'd have to go all Orion on him," Gaila said, lying back down. "So what do you mean, 'keeping something from you?'"

"Well..." Uhura turned onto her side to face Gaila, who followed her lead and turned over so they were face-to-face. "We're having a great time together, but... he's keeping a secret from me."

"What sort of secret?" Gaila asked, brow furrowed. "You don't think it's another woman?"

"_Definitely_ not another woman," Uhura said firmly. "Spock wouldn't do anything like that. It's something else... and he can't tell me."

"So it's probably something Starfleet-related, right?"

Uhura hesitated before responding. If _she_ wasn't even supposed to know a meeting had taken place, she probably shouldn't tell her former roommate anything. "I don't know," she lied.

Gaila shrugged as she turned onto her back. "You're having a good time, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then isn't that all that matters? _My_ guess is that what Commander Spock is keeping from you is _probably_ work-related anyway, and has nothing to do with _you_, so you shouldn't let it put a damper on your shore-leave. Come on, you're _always_ complaining to me about how you don't get to see him as much as you'd like. Don't let anything ruin your time with him!"

Nyota turned back to watch the ocean, frowning as she contemplated this. She had expected Gaila to be angry on her behalf; instead, the Orion had only reiterated what she herself had already begun to think.

"You know... you're right," she said. "I came here to have a good time, damn it, and I'm not going to let anything ruin it!"

"That's the spirit!" Gaila said cheerfully. Then, with a more serious expression, she turned to look at her human companion. "You didn't tell the commander about your suspicions, did you?"

Uhura sighed. "I did, actually. We had a... disagreement this morning."

Gaila rolled her eyes. "Then you'd better march your skinny ass back to his quarters and have hot, sweaty make-up sex! Isn't _that_ what shore-leave is all about?"

"I just got here!" she protested.

"So? Turn back around and go." Gaila stood and grabbed Nyota's hands, pulling her to her feet and shoving her beach towel and sandals into her arms. "I'm doing this for your own good, you know."

"_Gaila_!" Uhura exclaimed. "I've been cooped up all week - "

"Cooped up with _him_, making love? Good!" Gaila said, turning her around by her shoulders and pushing her in the direction of the beach exit. "And I don't want to see you again for the rest of shore-leave!" she called after her.

Shaking her head but grinning, Nyota gave in and made her way through the crowded beach to her rental hover-car.

XXXXX

Spock was engrossed in the document his captain had sent him when the holophone chimed again to signal an incoming call. He reluctantly set aside the PADD and went to the computer, expecting it to be Kirk again.

"Accept call," he commanded, leaning over the console.

A grainy, flickering image appeared on the screen; the call was quite obviously coming from a portable visual communicator. When the image came into focus and Spock recognized the caller, one elegantly slanted eyebrow rose.

"Lieutenant. This is unexpected. May I inquire as to _why_ you are contacting me?"

"I just saved your ass, Commander," the Orion said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Spock's eyebrow rose higher. "I do not understand your meaning."

Gaila gave him a smug smile. "I'm at the beach, as I'm sure you can see, sir," she said, gesturing to the strip of blue ocean and the crowd of half-naked humans milling about behind her. "And a certain mutual friend of ours showed up twenty minutes ago."

"She did inform me she was going to the beach. What is your point, Lieutenant?" Spock asked wearily.

"Well, she proceeded - after some prompting - to tell me that she thought a certain _someone_ is keeping secrets from her." Gaila gave him a pointed look. "She was rather evasive, but I deduced, because she said there was a disagreement this morning, that she caught that _certain someone_ sneaking out."

Spock shifted from one foot to the other and repressed the urge to sigh. "I do not see how that concerns you," he said.

"She seemed _really_ upset, Commander," she continued. "But you'll be happy to know that I convinced her she shouldn't worry about it."

"And how, exactly, did you 'save my ass,' Lieutenant?" he asked with a hint of impatience.

"Well, let's just say this..." the Orion grinned. "Nyota left about ten minutes ago, so she should be walking through your door _any_ minute now, and I think you'll find her to be _very_ forgiving of your transgression."

Spock studied the Orion with a small frown. Lieutenant Gaila had developed a habit of speaking to him with a familiarity that did not befit their actual relationship; she was exactly the sort of illogical female that both bewildered and annoyed him. If she were not Nyota's friend, he would not tolerate her informality.

But as much as he disliked her illogic, nothing irked him more than when she thought it her place to intervene in his relationship with Nyota.

"I did not ask you to insert yourself into my private affairs," he stated coolly.

Gaila's lips pursed. "I didn't do it for _you_, sir, I did it for _Nyota_. But I thought_ you _would appreciate the fact that she's no longer angry with you, and that the rest of your shore-leave will be much more comfortable, even after you made the mistake of getting caught."

"This is the only purpose of your call?" he asked with a twinge of annoyance.

"No..." Gaila said slowly, her bright smile returning. "I also wanted to remind you that I need those... items... from you."

Spock suppressed another sigh. "I have not forgotten. I will forward them momentarily. Will you be finished by the end of leave?"

"Definitely. See you at the next meeting, Commander!"

The screen went blank and, struggling to contain the annoyance Gaila often provoked in him, Spock returned to the sofa. No sooner had he picked up his PADD again when the front door opened and Nyota came in.

She did not say a word as she dropped her towel by the door and slid off her sandals. Despite Lieutenant Gaila's assurances that she was no longer angry, Spock watched her warily as she came toward him.

"Spock, I've been thinking..." she said, climbing over the back of the couch and plopping down next to him.

Before he had time to set the PADD aside, she took it out of his hand. Spock's heart pounded wildly in his side, panic overtaking him as he watched the device leave his fingers. The file was open, the PADD screen displaying sensitive information - _what if she saw?_

But Nyota did not even glance at it as she set it down on the coffee table. Relief swept over him as she looked up at him.

"Yes, Nyota?" he asked.

"I don't care what you're working on," she said. "It doesn't have anything to do with me, right? So why should I care what you're working on for Starfleet as long as I still have you all to myself the rest of the time?"

Spock opened his mouth to reply, but Nyota raised a hand to lay a finger against his lips.

"Those were rhetorical questions, Spock," she said with a smile.

"Ah," Spock said when she had removed the finger.

She laughed, the sound like music to his ears as she moved to straddle his lap, her pelvis pressing deliciously against his.

"Nyota..." Spock began slowly. "I _did _come on leave for you..."

"I know, Spock," she interrupted, stroking the side of his face tenderly. "So let's just pretend this morning didn't happen. There's still six days left of shore-leave, and I want us _both_ to enjoy it. Who knows when we'll be able to spend this much time together again?"

Before he could respond, she leaned forward to kiss him; her lips were soft against his, her hand cool as it rested against his cheek. Spock's fingers grazed against the bare skin of his mate's back, tracing the ridges of her spinal column up to the strings holding her top in place. With two quick movements, he had it untied and the top disposed of.

_Perhaps there _are_ merits to wearing so little clothing_, he thought to himself as he tightened his hold on his beloved and rose from the couch; her legs wrapped around him in response, her arms wound securely around his neck. They did not break their kiss as he carried her into the bedroom, her weight familiar in his arms, lips and tongues gently exploring as she sighed against his mouth.

As the door closed behind him, he made a mental note to thank Lieutenant Gaila when he next saw her.


	3. The Passenger

**A/N: If you like, please review!**

**Chapter 3: The Passenger**

Uhura woke suddenly. She did not immediately know what had disturbed her; it was still dark outside, silver moonlight filtering through the window to fall in beams across the bed. She could not have been asleep for more than a few hours.

Eyelids already drooping again, she rolled over, arms automatically reaching out for Spock - only to find nothing but empty space.

Now wide awake, she sighed and sat up, pulling the sheets closer to her body. She didn't need to check the other rooms to know that he had again disappeared.

They had managed to pretend everything was normal over the past several days; but, try as she might, Uhura could not forget the morning she had caught him. Since then, she had watched him closely; there were times when she would enter a room to find him quickly stowing away his PADD, and once, when she was returning from getting their dinner at a local Thai restaurant, she'd walked in to find him signing off the holophone.

She knew he was working on Starfleet business. But, instead of becoming angry as she had before, she was... curious.

What could Spock possibly be working on that even the Enterprise's Communications officer, an individual specially trained in confidentiality, couldn't know about? She racked her brain trying to find an answer to that question, but was unsuccessful. The first officer was, of course, privy to information _she_ was not, but Uhura could think of no situation in which such a key member of the bridge crew would be kept entirely out of the loop.

She laid her head back against the headboard and stared up at the ceiling, watching the shifting shadows cast by the gnarled tree limbs outside the window. She wished she had never caught Spock leaving. The old adage was true: ignorance really _was_ bliss.

Just as she was considering going back to sleep, she heard the front door opening in the living room. Uhura did not even bother pretending to be asleep this time; she watched as Spock appeared in the bedroom doorway, pulling off his shirt as he crossed the threshold.

He froze, shirt hanging limply from one hand, when he saw that she was sitting up. He warily met her gaze, shoulders tensed in trepidation.

They stared at each other for a long time. Uhura knew he was waiting for her to say something - perhaps he even expected her to yell. But instead, she sank down the headboard until she was lying down again.

"Come back to bed," she said softly.

Spock stood uncertainly in the doorway for a few seconds longer; then he slowly resumed removing his clothes before climbing back into bed. Taking her into his arms, he pulled her against him; once she was settled, her head tucked under his chin, he began to thread his fingers through her long, silky hair.

They did not speak for several minutes as they relished the peaceful moment. Then, in a hushed voice, Nyota said; "We return to the Enterprise tomorrow."

"We do," Spock agreed, his arms tightening around her.

"When we're on the ship, it's easy to forget how good the simple things are, like being together for longer than one night or a few minutes in between shifts," she said. "I'm going to miss spending so much time with you."

"As will I," he admitted, his lips brushing against her forehead as he kissed her. "I confess that I did not think I would... enjoy... our shore-leave together as much as I have."

"Is it too early to ask you to come with me on our next leave?" she teased.

"No, it is not," he said quietly. "I have no qualms about accompanying you on leave again."

"I'll hold you to that," she promised, finding his hand with hers and lacing their fingers together.

"I am sure you will," Spock said, squeezing her fingers.

They fell silent, watching the play of the milky moonlight and dark shadow against the walls. Uhura felt her eyelids drooping again, the warmth of her lover's body luring her back into the land of sleep and dreams. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her hip, his chest rising and falling with every breath he took...

Just before she slipped into the blackness of slumber, she felt warm fingers brush against her temple. A thought - not her own, and so transient that she thought she might be dreaming - filled her mind:

_This is how it should be, my _ashayam_, and if I ever leave you, this is the moment I would have you remember._

Uhura felt a twinge of confusion - _what was _that_ supposed to mean?_ But then she felt herself falling, succumbing to the pulling tide of darkness...

When she awoke the next morning, she did not remember the thought at all.

XXXXX

The turbolift doors hissed open. Uhura stepped onto the bridge, which bustled with activity as her fellow officers readied their stations for launch. They chatted happily back and forth about their shore-leaves, discussing the places they had gone, the friends they had met up with, and relating tales of the drunken nights spent at bars - stories that usually ended in someone waking up the next morning next to people they didn't even know...

Uhura listened to the crew's relaxed conversation with a smug smile as she headed to her station and sat down. She'd spent little time with her friends, hadn't set foot in a bar - certainly hadn't had a one-night stand - and, aside from her short trip to the beach, she hadn't traveled farther than the restaurant nearest to Spock's quarters. But she was still willing to bet all the credits in her account that she'd had the best shore-leave of them all.

She cast a sidelong glance to her right, where Spock was running system checks at the Science station. He did not look up, his attention focused on the console before him, but she knew he felt her gaze when he addressed her.

"Lieutenant Uhura, did you complete your checks on the Communications deck?" he asked, not taking his eyes off a computer readout.

"Yes, sir, I just got back from there," she replied. "All Communications stations are ready for launch."

"Please file the official check-in report instead of allowing your attention to wander."

To anyone else on the bridge, it would sound like a reprimand. But when he said the words, Spock finally looked up at her. The corners of his mouth quirked up as his eyes rested on her, and she felt her own smile widen.

"Aye, sir," she said, turning back to her station. They had been lovers the past two weeks, but now they were back on the Enterprise. It was time to be professionals again - which included _not_ gawking at her commanding officer on the bridge.

She was tuning her frequencies when the turbolift doors opened behind her, and she heard Jim Kirk's voice.

"I hope everyone enjoyed their leave, but now it's time to head back out," he said. "As you can see - we have a guest aboard the Enterprise."

Uhura turned in her chair to face Kirk as he sat down in the captain's chair. Her eyes widened when they fell on the figure standing next to him.

He was Vulcan - and much older than any other Vulcan she'd ever met. But that was not what made her heart stop beating in her chest, or her breath catch in her throat; there was something very familiar about the way he stood; back straight, shoulders squared, hands clasped behind his back...

And those eyes... she _knew_ those eyes. They were brown, like those of most members of his race, but they held an uncharacteristic softness she had never seen in the eyes of any Vulcan...

Except one.

"We are to escort the ambassador on a diplomatic mission to Bolarus IX. It will take approximately three weeks to get there..."

But she was no longer listening to Kirk. Her eyes darted to her right again; Spock had risen from his chair and now stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture perfectly mirroring that of the Vulcan standing beside the captain. His face showed not even a flicker of surprise, and he did not look around at her.

Uhura had never met him before, but she knew exactly who the Vulcan ambassador was.

XXXXX

Ambassador Spock waited patiently outside the turbolift. Alpha shift had ended two point three minutes previously; any moment now, his younger counterpart and the captain would exit.

He had barely finished the thought when the lift doors opened and they stepped out.

"Ambassador," Jim said, stopping in his tracks as he eyed the Vulcan curiously."Do you need something?"

"I have a message," he said, giving the captain a meaningful look.

Jim started down the corridor again. "Let's go to my quarters. We won't be disturbed there."

The elder Vulcan fell in beside the younger one as they followed the captain down the passageway to his quarters. Once they were inside, the door shut securely behind them, Jim turned to face them.

"I assume it's from Starfleet Command?" he asked, leaning against his desk and folding his arms over his chest.

The ambassador was struck with a sense of what humans called 'deja vu.' He had seen another version of this man do the very same thing, countless times.

But that was in the universe that no longer existed for Ambassador Spock.

"It is from Fleet Admiral Ibori," he answered, reaching into a pocket of his long, black Vulcan robe and withdrawing a red data slate.

Jim took it and went around to the other side of his desk. The two Vulcans followed, watching as he inserted it into the computer console.

The screen flickered, and then an image of Fleet Admiral Ibori appeared.

"If you're watching this, you're already underway," the elderly human said. He sat behind his desk at the Starfleet Headquarters; the ambassador could see a strip of the glittering San Francisco Bay through the window behind him. The admiral's veined hands were folded before him as he addressed the console, a grim expression on his dark, lined face. "You know what's at stake. You know what could happen if this goes wrong. You know what you're risking - your lives, and even your freedom. You don't need me to remind you of what you could be sacrificing. But you _must_ remember: it is not only your lives that are at stake.

"You are brave men to undertake this mission ("Gaila's not going to like that," Jim muttered to his first officer) and no matter what the outcome, you have Starfleet's gratitude.

"This message is the last you will receive from Command. From this moment on, you are on your own. I wish you good luck on behalf of Starfleet and the Federation, and I hope to see you all return to Earth safely and victoriously."

The screen went blank. There was a long moment of silence in the captain's quarters, then Jim took the data slate out of the slot.

"I'll show this to the others," he said quietly, not looking at either Vulcan as he slipped the slate into his pocket. "Then I'll have it destroyed."

The ambassador looked over at Spock; even though the message was no longer displayed on the screen, he was still staring at it, giving no sign that he had heard the captain at all.

The elder Spock had an idea of what might be going through the young Vulcan's mind.

"Spock," he said, "I am sure the captain would like to retire for the evening. Perhaps we should go to the mess hall."

Spock blinked, then looked up at his elder. "Yes, _sa-kai_," he murmured, and they turned to the door together.

The corridor was empty and silent as the two Vulcans exited the captain's quarters. They walked slowly down the hall, hands clasped behind their backs, both deep in thought.

"Something is troubling you, _nu'ri-veh_. You are having doubts about this mission?" the elder finally asked, his voice lowered as he glanced around to ensure that they were, indeed, alone.

The younger Spock stopped and turned to face him with the smallest of frowns. "I am not having doubts about my own participation, _sa-kai_, but perhaps it is foolish to involve so many others."

The elder allowed himself to sigh. "That has troubled me, as well. But we have taken many measures to prevent others from being harmed."

"But are these measures enough?" Spock asked, eyebrows drawing together. "Or will we be responsible for the deaths of those we care for? And even if we do not die, but our mission fails, we will still find ourselves -" he stopped. The turbolift doors at the end of the hallway had opened, depositing several officers heading to their quarters for the evening.

When the elder followed Spock's softened gaze to the only remaining person in the lift, something clicked neatly into place.

The ambassador recalled the very first meeting in the admiral's office.

_"We might need someone from Communications," Captain Kirk had said, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. The others in the room nodded in agreement. "The best person for this would be Lieutenant Uhura -"_

_ "I must object, Captain," Spock interrupted, his eyes hard as he looked at the captain. Everyone turned to stare at him, but he did not seem to notice as he continued: "This mission can be done without a Communications officer directly involved."_

_ "Maybe so..." Jim said slowly. "But it would be easier -"_

_ "It would be wise to involve as few people as possible," Spock had said, his tone much colder than usual. "It can be done. Lieutenant Uhura need not be involved."_

He had not understood the objection at the time - nor had he understood the anger Spock had exhibited at Jim's proposal, anger that had been apparent only to the elder. But now, as he saw the way his counterpart was looking at Uhura, and as he recalled the young Vulcan's words of just seconds before, he understood.

"Excuse me, Ambassador," Spock murmured. He then walked quickly away down the hall, reaching the lift just as the doors began to close.

The elder watched as Spock entered the lift and leaned in toward Uhura to say something into her ear. She looked up from the PADD she had been reading, a smile breaking out on her face.

The turbolift doors slid closed, and he was left alone in the deserted corridor.

One slanted eyebrow slowly rose. "Fascinating," he said.

But while this discovery was, indeed, fascinating, he could also foresee a complication.

If this Uhura was anything like the Uhura from his universe - and he had no doubt that she was - such close contact with Spock might very well threaten the integrity of their mission.

And if she was anything like the other Uhura, she would willingly place herself in harm's way - no matter what anyone did to protect her.

XXXXX

_**Vulcan Words:**_

_**ashayam = beloved**_

_**sa-kai = brother, **__**a male having the same parents as another or one parent in common with another **__**(the closest familial term I could find to describe Spock's relationship with the ambassador).**_

_**nu'ri-veh = young one**_


	4. Ambassador

**Chapter 4: Ambassador**

"Nyota."

Spock softly spoke the name into the delicate shell of her ear as he leaned in close. Startled, Nyota looked up from her PADD. She had been so absorbed in reading her report, she hadn't noticed him enter the lift.

A smile broke out on her face as the doors closed and the lift began to descend. "Spock," she said, eyes sparkling. She was clearly enjoying the informality. Spock rarely called her by her name outside the privacy of their quarters, even when they were off-duty.

"Neither of us are required to report to the bridge this evening," he said, resuming his usual stance and clasping his hands behind his back. "If it is no inconvenience to you, I thought we might spend the night together."

"That wouldn't be an inconvenience at all, sir," Uhura smirked. "And since you just left the deck _your_ quarters are on, I assume that means we'll be spending the night in my quarters, correct?"

"Correct," Spock agreed.

The lift slowed to a stop and the doors opened. Stepping out into the corridor, Spock followed Nyota down the hallway to her quarters, past several off-duty officers heading to the mess for dinner.

Few of the passing crewmen looked twice at the Vulcan and human walking side by side down the passageway. Other than the expected nods of respect and murmurs of "Good evening, Commander, Lieutenant," they arrived at her quarters virtually unnoticed.

As neither of them took pains to not be seen visiting each other's quarters, most of the Enterprise crew was aware that their first officer and communications officer were "involved." Their relationship had been a source of gossip among the crewmen for the first several months of the five-year mission, but the couple behaved with such discretion outside their quarters, and gave others so little to talk about, that the ship had quickly gotten bored with them. Now, most people did not even spare them a second glance when they were together.

When Nyota pressed the button to open the door of her quarters and he followed her inside, he appreciated the fact that the crew no longer whispered and giggled whenever they saw him with her. Being in a relationship was difficult enough without the whole ship monitoring their every move.

"I have a question for you," Nyota said as soon as the door was closed behind them. Sitting down in a chair, she began to pull off her boots.

"You may ask," Spock said, hands still clasped behind his back as he examined an African tribal mask mounted on the wall.

"Why didn't you tell me Ambassador Spock was coming aboard?"

Her tone did not convey hostility; in fact, she sounded... curious.

Spock turned to face her. She watched him expectantly, head tilted slightly to the side as she waited for a response. For a moment, he merely looked at her, gauging how much he could - and could not - tell her.

"I did not realize you would be interested in that information," he finally replied.

"Of course I would be!" Nyota said, frowning. "I've wanted to meet him ever since you first told me about him. You _know_ that - I must've told you a thousand times. Why would you assume I wouldn't want to know he was coming aboard? Unless..." Suddenly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Spock watched warily as she stood from her chair and slowly advanced on him. "Unless his presence here has something to do with your mission?" she finished as she stopped in front of him, so close that she had to crane her neck to look into his face.

Her eyes bore into him with an intensity he could almost physically feel. He did not normally feel uncomfortable when his mate was in such close proximity to him, but this time, he did. He knew she was waiting for the tiniest slip, the slightest change in his facial features...

Finally, unable to bear his lover's searing gaze any longer, Spock blinked and lowered his eyes.

"That's it, isn't it?" Nyota breathed, eyes gleaming with triumph. "He's involved. That's why you didn't tell me."

Fury licked at Spock's insides as he turned away - fury that was not directed at her, but at himself. He was Vulcan, yet she could always read him. He could keep nothing from her - not even when her safety was at stake.

"Put this mission out of your mind, Nyota," Spock said, staring unseeingly at an African figurine that sat on a table next to a chair. "You are prying, and you do not know the dangers inherent to the answers you seek. I ask you, for your own good, to forget this."

There was silence behind him. Then he heard quiet footsteps on the carpet as Nyota moved to stand in front of him again.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, offering him an apologetic smile. "I won't do it again." She rested her cool hands on his cheeks and stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the lips.

But as she pulled away, stroking his jaw one last time before stepping around him, Spock felt uneasy.

For the first time since he had known her, he did not believe her.

XXXXX

The observation deck was empty, save for one person. Leaning her elbows on the railing that ran beneath the wide windows, Uhura stared out at the stars streaking by in blurs of white light.

With a sigh, she slumped against the railing, resting her chin on one hand. This was the first free day she had been given since the Enterprise set out for Bolarus IX a week before; she had started off the day by trying to catch up on her journals in her quarters, but found herself unable to concentrate. Then she tried to join her fellow shipmates in the rec area, only to soon realize she had no desire for company. Feeling restless, she'd taken to wandering aimlessly around the ship, finally finding herself here.

Few people visited the observation deck, even when off-duty. It was for this very reason that she had settled here; no one would disturb her.

She tried to tell herself she didn't know _why_ she felt so restless - she tried to do what Spock had asked her, and put the mission out of her mind. But she couldn't. It nagged at her constantly, always in the back of her mind, quieted only when she was working on the bridge and her attention was directed wholly at her console. As soon as she was off-duty, and her mind allowed to wander, she would again find herself thinking about it.

Uhura was trying her best to restrain her urge to pry further - she really was. She did not make promises to Spock lightly. But the more she thought about the odd pieces of this puzzle - her exclusion from the plans, Ambassador Spock's diplomatic mission to Bolarus IX - the harder her brain strove to find a connection.

_Bolarus IX. What could possibly be of interest there? _she asked herself, eyebrows drawing together. That question bothered her more than any other. She could not understand why there would be a secret mission there, of all places.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she glanced over at the computer console mounted on a wall nearby. Officially, it was there for continuing education sessions or for guests using the deck as a learning center, but a few taps on that panel could very well give her the answers she sought...

Uhura had straightened from the railing and taken two steps toward the console when she stopped herself.

_I gave Spock my word,_ she told herself firmly, hands balling into fists at her sides. _No more prying._

But she wasn't really prying, was she? She only wanted to pull up all the information available on Bolarus IX - information that was available to every crewmember on the ship. There was nothing secret about that...

Biting her lip, she made her decision. She crossed the darkened observation room, passing the rows of empty seats on her right. Stopping before the panel, she keyed in a few commands, bringing up the page containing all available information on Bolarus.

The observation room was silent as she began to scan the text, soon losing all sense of her surroundings as she searched... There had to be something - something that would incite the interest of Starfleet...

She was nearing the end of the document, and on the verge of giving up, when a deep voice rang out across the empty observation room.

"Lieutenant Uhura."

Uhura jumped and spun around, heart hammering in her chest as she stared at the figure now making its way toward her from between the rows of chairs.

"Ambassador!" she said, letting out a sigh of relief. "You startled me!"

"I did not expect to find anyone here," the ambassador said as he neared her.

"Nor did I." Uhura's heart began to pound again as he came closer. Even though she knew she was breaking no rules, she turned around and quickly hit a key; the screen went blank just as he joined her.

"An interesting choice of locale in which to study, Lieutenant," the ambassador said, looking curiously at the black screen. "I, myself, come here for peaceful contemplation."

Not responding to his comment, she turned back to him. "We haven't had the chance to meet, ambassador, but Spock told me about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You know who I am?" he asked, appraising her with one eyebrow risen.

Uhura smiled up at him. "Of course I do, Ambassador Spock. I knew as soon as I saw you."

The corners of the elder's mouth flicked up in a familiar Vulcan smile as he gestured toward the first row of observation seats. "Please, sit."

She walked a few paces to the nearest chair and sat down; the ambassador settled down beside her. For the next few moments, they merely looked out the observation windows at the stars. Then, her voice hushed, Uhura spoke; "It's a shame I don't stop to appreciate the beauty more often."

"What do you mean?" the ambassador asked, watching her as he sat back in his chair and folded his hands together.

Uhura sighed, watching the stars shoot past with a thoughtful expression on her face. "When I was a child, I looked up at the stars every single night and dreamed about becoming a Starfleet officer. Even when I was a cadet, I would go out at night just to look up at the sky. But now that I've actually achieved that dream, and I've been among the stars every day for the past several months, the novelty of it has worn off. I don't stop to admire the view nearly as much as I used to."

"Ah." That Vulcan smile again. "After living among the stars for so long, it becomes quite easy to forget to stop and look around."

"Even for Vulcans?" she asked, smiling.

"_Especially_ for Vulcans," he answered.

Uhura looked back out the large windows. She was finding it much easier than she had imagined to talk to this Spock. He _looked_ like her Spock - he had the same eyes, the same fine facial features, once you looked past the changes made by time - but talking to him was more like talking to her grandfather, not her lover. He was just like her Spock - but still entirely different. He had a certain openness about him that she guessed would come only with age and wisdom.

"Ambassador," she said after a long silence. "I wanted to ask you..."

Before she could even finish, the Vulcan beside her let out the smallest of sighs. "I assume you, like so many others, want to know what your life was like in my universe?"

Uhura bit her lip and looked down at her hands. It was almost as if he had read her mind.

"I do not usually accommodate such requests, but I will make an exception in this case," he said. She could feel his eyes on her as he continued; "Our universes are not drastically different, Lieutenant. She was exactly as you are: inquisitive. Intelligent. Rather... mischievous, at times. Very focused on her career - and very beautiful."

The heat rose in her cheeks, but she ignored the compliment as she asked the question that had been plaguing her ever since Spock first told her about the ambassador; "Were you two... I mean, did you...?" she trailed off.

"Are you asking whether or not the other Uhura and I were together, in the way you and my younger counterpart are?" he asked. Uhura nodded mutely. "The answer is no, Lieutenant," he replied, turning back to the windows with a small frown. "There was undoubtedly a mutual attraction, but it never advanced beyond that."

"Any reason why not?" she asked, looking curiously up at him. His features were half-lost in shadow, but there was an unmistakable sadness in his voice when he answered.

"No," he said softly. "There was no reason why not. Perhaps we were both so focused on our careers that it simply... never occurred to us that we should pursue an intimate relationship. Had I known it was possible, perhaps things would have been different."

Uhura tried to imagine what her life would be like without her Spock, but found that she couldn't. Obviously, another version of herself had been just fine without him - but he was such an important part of her life in _this_ universe, the thought of not having him left her feeling... empty.

"That's a shame," she murmured. "You don't know what you missed out on. It could have been the best part of your life, having someone to love and love you in return."

"Perhaps." There was a moment's silence, and then the ambassador stood. "I should be going, Lieutenant. I have preparations to make."

Blinking as she came out of her daze, she looked up at him. "Of course," she said, also standing. "As we'll be arriving at Bolarus in two weeks, I'm sure you have plenty of preparations to see to."

At her mention of Bolarus, a strange flicker passed over the ambassador's features. Uhura frowned; she knew _her_ Spock well enough to know what that meant...

"Ah. Yes," he said slowly.

"You _did_ say you're heading to Bolarus IX, didn't you?" she asked, peering up at him.

"I... never stated where I am heading. The captain, however, _did_ tell the crew that is my destination," the ambassador replied.

She did not miss the hesitation, or the swift, calculating look he gave her.

"Right," she said softly, still studying him. She was very familiar with Spock's evasion tactics - and if she was correct, the ambassador had just given her a very evasive answer. "I won't keep you any longer, sir," she said, nodding her head once at him.

"It was a pleasure talking to you, Lieutenant Uhura," he said, bowing his head to her before turning to leave the observation deck. "I am sure it will not be long before we meet again."

Uhura watched him leave. As soon as the hem of his Vulcan robe had disappeared over the threshold, she turned back to the computer console.

"Computer," she commanded. "Show me the ship's current trajectory in relation to Bolarus IX."

There was a chime as the computer processed her request, and then a map appeared on the screen. Uhura leaned in close, studying the flight path.

When she found what she was looking for, she frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. According to the coordinates laid in, they were heading straight for...

"That can't be right," she muttered, tapping a key to re-run her request; but the results remained the same. Her frown deepened as she stared at the screen, a sense of dread rising within her.

Her hunch had been right. They were not heading toward Bolarus IX at all.


	5. Destination

**A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, especially since it's been so long since I've updated, but hopefully the next will be longer and I'll have it up sooner. ;)**

**Chapter 5: Destination  
**

The corridors were empty, the lights turned down low to conserve energy. The ship was set to nighttime hours, and most of its occupants were asleep, the bridge manned only by the skeleton crew of Gamma shift.

Spock's footsteps echoed down the passageway, magnified by the absence of the noises that were typical of everyday life aboard a starship. Without the loud chatter and heavy, ungraceful footfalls of his shipmates, his highly sensitive ears could pick up the hum of energy speeding through the wiring overhead and in the walls.

He rarely roamed the hallways during night hours. If he was not on the bridge at this time, he was usually either in meditation or sleeping next to Nyota. But as he neared the conference room, he found comfort in the rare tranquillity that now settled over the ship like a blanket.

The door opened at his arrival. He stepped through the doorway and paused just inside, his eyes roving over the people gathered around the long conference table as they all turned to look at him.

At the head of the table sat Captain Kirk; at the far end was the ambassador. To the captain's left sat Chekov and Sulu, and across from them was Lieutenant Gaila, who beamed at Spock as he crossed the room to sit beside her in the only remaining chair.

Only one member of the team was absent from the proceedings: Scotty was on the bridge overseeing Gamma shift and could not make it.

"Now that everyone's here, we can get started." Kirk stood from his chair and placed his hands on the table, inspecting each of the people gathered around him one by one. His blue eyes finally came to rest on Sulu, who sat directly across from Spock. "Report, Mr. Sulu?"

"Course is laid in, but it won't be long before people start noticing we're not headed for Bolarus," Sulu said grimly. "If we _were_ headed there, we would arrive in forty-six hours. We have two days, at the most, before the crew starts asking questions. And a few days after _that_, we'll have a whole new barrage of questions to answer."

A tense silence followed Sulu's report as the bridge crew glanced uneasily at each other. Even Gaila, who was normally very animated - to the point of annoying those around her - was unusually subdued, her elbows propped up on the table and her chin resting on her hands as she frowned at the wall.

"Mr. Chekov." Kirk's voice, quieter than before, broke the heavy silence.

As the officers seated around the table each updated the group, Spock stared down at the PADD before him. But he did not really see the data flashing across its screen.

There was only one person missing from their midst that had every right to be there, but was not. Only one person who would _want_ to be involved with every fiber of her being, but was not. And it was through _his_ insistence that she had been excluded. He had been sure of his actions before, certain that he was acting in her best interests, but now...

He was beginning to wonder if she would ever be able to forgive him once the truth came out.

XXXXX

The mess hall was crowded, as it usually was at 1300 hours during Alpha shift's lunch break. The tables were full of boisterous crewmen talking and laughing over their meals, relaxing with their friends before they had to return to their stations for the remainder of the shift.

Crewmen who were completely oblivious to what was _really_ going on in the ship they called home.

Uhura barely glanced around her as she wended her way through the maze of tables to join the line in front of the replicators. Arms crossed over her chest, she stared at the broad back of a security officer as she waited for her turn, her mind drifting as it had so often the past few days to the perplexing situation at hand...

She was finding it difficult to think of anything else. How could she _not_, considering what she had discovered on the observation deck three days before? The truth that she had so relentlessly sought - even against her lover and commanding officer's wishes - was proving to be a heavy burden. She was starting to wish she'd listened to Spock's warnings and kept her curiosity in check.

_It was an accident_, she told herself firmly as the security officer moved and she stepped up to a free replicator. _I wouldn't have found out if the ambassador hadn't slipped up..._

That was little consolation. She _had_ been prying before the ambassador arrived, even if she hadn't been prying in the right place. If she hadn't been there at all, she wouldn't have found out...

Banishing the subject from her thoughts, Uhura inserted her rations chip into the replicator's slot. When a plate of fettucine al fungi had materialized, she picked it up and turned to find a seat.

There were few empty chairs. Scanning the crowd, she searched for a place near someone she knew; after a few seconds, her eyes came to rest on a table in the far corner, where there sat only one person.

Spock.

Uhura bit her lip. She hadn't been alone with him in over a week - not since the first evening they'd been back on the Enterprise. They had been working opposite shifts, and sometimes he worked doubles so she couldn't even see him when she was off-duty; she had begun to suspect that he was purposely scheduling her shifts opposite to his so he could avoid her.

Normally, she would be bothered by their long separation. But this time, she found that she was... relieved. If she was alone with him, she knew she wouldn't be able to keep from blurting out that she knew the truth - thereby admitting that she'd broken her word. She didn't even _want_ to imagine how angry - and maybe even hurt - he would be at the revelation that she hadn't kept her promise to him.

She stood there for several seconds, debating about what she should do. But, before she could decide whether to join him, she spotted a familiar head of fiery-red hair bent over a PADD nearby.

"Gaila!" she greeted, glancing furtively over at Spock as she sidled into the empty chair on Gaila's right.

Perhaps hearing her voice even from clear across the room and through the din created by their shipmates, Spock looked up from the PADD he had been engrossed in, a quizzical expression forming on his face when he saw her sitting beside the Orion. His eyebrows drew together in confusion; he was no doubt puzzled that she hadn't sat with him instead, but, suppressing a twinge of guilt, Uhura turned to her friend. "Nice to see you."

Gaila looked up at Uhura, then over at the same corner where Spock sat. The Vulcan had returned to his PADD, but his eyebrows were still furrowed. "What, you're not sitting with your lover-Vulcan today?" she asked curiously. "You two _always_ sit together."

Brushing this aside without a response, Uhura picked up her fork and said, "Haven't seen you in a few days. How are things down in Engineering?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." Gaila waved her hand dismissively. Then she peered at her human friend, eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You aren't still mad at the commander, are you, Nyota?"

"What? Oh, no." Uhura shook her head. "I just... felt like sitting with you today."

"Uh huh." One red eyebrow shot up in an uncanny imitation of Spock's raised eyebrow. "Then why are you so fidgety?"

"Fidgety? What do you -?" Too late, she realized that her left leg had been bouncing up and down nervously, her heel tapping against the floor, and her hands were clenched into fists on the tabletop. Shaking her head again, Uhura bent over her plate. "It's nothing. I've just had a stressful day."

Uhura could almost sense the Orion's skepticism, but she said nothing further. They ate in silence for the next several minutes. Then...

"Hey, the commander's leaving," Gaila said, nudging Uhura's arm and bringing her out of her reverie.

Blinking, she looked across the room. Sure enough, Spock had risen from his chair and was heading toward the exit. As she watched him go, she again felt the sinking sensation of dread she experienced whenever she thought about the Enterprise's destination...

She couldn't get it out of her head. Lives were at stake. Everyone around her - Gaila, Spock, everyone she knew and loved - was in danger. _She_ was in danger, and they were all being led into it by the very people whose duty was to protect the ship. And she didn't even know _why. _The knowledge of it was pressing down on her more than ever, following her around, nagging at her - there was no escaping it, even for a moment.

_ I can't stand this_, Uhura thought to herself. _Standing by, waiting for whatever might happen to happen - avoiding Spock. I can't just sit here, not knowing _why _- not when I know someone who has the answers..._

Before she realized she'd made the decision, she was standing from her chair. Ignoring Gaila's confused inquiries as to where she was going, Uhura left her half-eaten lunch and followed Spock out through the mess hall doors.

The corridor was deserted except for Spock, who was already halfway down the passage.

"Commander!" she called, running to catch up. He did not slow, nor did he look around at her.

"Lieutenant," he acknowledged.

She knew she could very well get in trouble for what she was about to ask, but her mind was made up. She was willing to risk even Spock's anger to get at the truth. She had gone too far - learned too much - to turn back now.

"Sir, I have a question for you."

Spock inclined his head toward her, but his step still did not slow. "Continue," he said.

She did not miss the coolness in his tone. Uhura was used to Spock's aloofness with her while on-duty, but something about his demeanor - the way he refused to even look at her - ignited a flame of anger within her.

Gritting her teeth together, she continued; "Until now, I was determined not to pry any further. But I think, considering the circumstances, I deserve to know at least _something_."

"And what circumstances are those, Lieutenant?" There was a definite coldness in his voice now, and Uhura saw the stiffening in his shoulders that bespoke his anger.

"The fact that the entire goddamned _crew_ is in danger, sir," she replied just as icily.

Finally, Spock stopped in the middle of the corridor. He turned to her, his face set into a rigid mask, eyes flashing with warning - but before he could speak a word, she cut him off.

"So I'd really like to know, _Commander_." She glared fiercely up at him, her chin jutting out defiantly, hands balled into fists at her sides. "Why the _hell _are we heading straight for the Romulan Neutral Zone?"

XXXXX

**A/N: For those of you who are unfamiliar with the original series or Next Generation and do not understand the significance of it, the Romulan Neutral Zone is a big deal. It existed to separate the Federation territory from Romulan territory. Crossing into it - from either side - is considered an act of war. If you want to know more about it, look it up here on Memory Alpha: **http:/memory-alpha(dot)org/wiki/Portal:Main


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